1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an authoring method and a storage medium, more particularly to a machine-implemented authoring method for a high definition digital versatile disc (HD DVD) and a computer readable storage medium including program instructions for causing a computing apparatus to execute consecutive steps of the machine-implemented authoring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A standard Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) formatted optical disc (also referred to as a DVD disc) is widely used as an audiovisual storage medium due to its ability to store high quality images and lengthy video clips owing to its high storage capacity.
During playback of a DVD disc, a user can operate a remote controller of a DVD player so as to adjust various playback parameters of the DVD disc via a “menu” button on the remote controller. The playback parameters control playback settings of the DVD disc, including, for instance, playback video quality, sound effects, turning subtitles on/off, position of subtitles, language selection, or chapter selection.
When a user presses the “menu” button, a video currently being played is interrupted, and a menu is displayed to facilitate user adjustment of the playback parameters. After the adjustments are completed, the user needs to press a “play” button on the remote controller in order to start a new playback sequence. Since the video is interrupted when adjustments of the playback parameters are made, interaction between the user and playback of the DVD disc is cumbersome and inconvenient.
A High Definition Digital Versatile Disc (HD DVD) format, a successor to the standard DVD format, has been developed with improved interactivity between the user and the playback of the HD DVD disc. In other words, a video currently being played need not be interrupted and paused when adjustments of playback parameters of the HD DVD disc are made by the user.
An advanced HD DVD disc includes two directories named ADV_OBJ and HVDVD_TS, respectively. Stored in the HVDVD_TS directory is a set of titles, each of which has a corresponding set of time map files for composing images and/or videos of the title. The time map files compose images or videos compliant with the HD DVD format. Stored in the ADV_OBJ directory is an interactive HD DVD content, normally referred to as an “HDi content” (hereinafter referred to as the interactive content).
An initial title is, for example, a warning screen declaring copyright of the HD DVD disc. Normally, after the initial title and prior to a primary title, there is a preview title for introducing upcoming HD DVD discs by the content provider. The preview title is frequently divided into multiple preview sub-titles so as to facilitate the audience in skipping those preview sub-titles not of interest to the audience. During playback of the HD DVD disc, titles are played sequentially in a seamless manner such that the audience is unaware of the beginning and end of each title.
The interactive content defines the interactivity with the audience while the title is being played. While playing a title, the interactive content is capable of displaying various prompt messages on the screen, and of defining screen size and color of the prompt messages, so as to direct the audience in making corresponding interactive activities. In addition, the interactive content is capable of receiving playback parameter settings from the audience, and of adjusting the playback of the title according to the playback parameters thus set. The playback of the title is neither interrupted nor paused while the interactivity is in progress.
The interactive content includes an application and a playlist file (filename extension .xpl). It should be noted that the interactive content can also be chosen to have no application. During playback of a HD DVD disc, the playlist file is first read, and the titles are played according to the playlist file. The playlist file stores the playback order of the titles and relevant information of corresponding applications for each title. The application is capable of receiving a set of playback parameters during playback of the corresponding title, and/or displaying prompt messages. Through executing corresponding applications during playback of each title, real-time interactivity is achieved between the audience and the title being played.
Take a simple example as an illustration, FIG. 1 shows corresponding relationships between the titles and the applications of a HD DVD disc, starting at time 0. The HD DVD disc includes a set of titles and an interactive content. There are five titles in total (respectively named first title title01 to fifth title title05), and the order of playback for the titles is from the first title title01 to the fifth title title05. The interactive content includes a first application app1, a second application app2, a third application app3, and a playlist file.
During playback of every title, the third application app3 is executable. Therefore, the third application app3 corresponds to the whole playlist, and is often referred to as a “playlist application”. In addition, during playback of the first and second titles title01, title02, the first application app1 is executable, and during playback of the fourth and fifth titles title04, title05, the second application app2 is executable, where each of the first and second applications app1, app2 is referred to as a “title application”. Consequently, the first application app1 corresponds to the first and second titles title01, title02, while the second application app2 corresponds to the fourth and fifth titles title04, title05.
Each application includes a set of include files, which define functions performed by the application. The set of include files includes at least a markup file (filename extension .xmu) and a manifest file (filename extension .xmf). In addition, the set of include files may also include some resource files, such as a script file (filename extension .js), etc.
The playlist file records filenames and locations of the time map files, and includes a playlist parameter segment and a set of title parameter segments corresponding in number to the titles. The playlist parameter segment stores a set of include parameters, whose values correspond to the names and the locations of the include files of the applications that correspond to the playlist. Each title parameter segment stores a set of include parameters, whose values correspond to the names and the locations of the include files of the application or applications corresponding to the title.
Since the playlist file records the order of playback of the titles and the corresponding applications for each title, it is necessary for the file names and the locations of the include files of the applications, as well as those of the time map files of the titles to be listed correctly in the playlist file, such that during playback of the HD DVD disc, the time map files of the titles and the include files of the applications respectively facilitate playback of the videos associated with the titles and control of the interactivity between the audience and the video playbacks.
Referring back to the example provided with reference to FIG. 1, assume that the first application app1 includes include files app1.xmu and app1.xmf, the second application app2 includes include files app2.xmu and app2.xmf, and the third application app3 includes include files app3.xmu and app3.xmf. Then, parts of the playlist file would be such as that shown in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, the playlist file includes a playlist parameter segment 90 for storing include parameters for the whole playlist, a first title parameter segment 91 for storing include parameters for the first title title01, a second title parameter segment 92 for storing include parameters for the second title title02, a third title parameter segment 93 for storing include parameters for the third title title03, a fourth title parameter segment 94 for storing include parameters for the fourth title title04, and a fifth title parameter segment 95 for storing include parameters for the fifth title title05.
Because the third application app3 is the “playlist application” and corresponds to the whole playlist, the playlist parameter segment 90 stores a set of include parameters having values that correspond to the names and the locations of the include files app3.xmf, app3.xmu included in the third application app3. Similarly, since the first application app1 corresponds to both of the first and second titles title01 and title02, the first and second title parameter segments 91, 92 each stores a set of include parameters having values that correspond to the names and the locations of the include files app1.xmf, app1.xmu included in the first application app1. Likewise, since the second application app2 corresponds to both of the fourth and fifth titles title04 and title05, the fourth and fifth title parameter segments 94, 95 each stores a set of include parameters having values that correspond to the names and the locations of the include files app2.xmf, app2.xmu included in the second application app2. Furthermore, since none of the applications corresponds specifically to the third title title03, no include parameters having values that correspond to the names and the locations of the include files of any of the applications app1, app2, app3 are stored in the third title parameter segment 93.
Having briefly introduced the contents and standard format of a HD DVD disc, it should be noted that the applicant is unaware of a commercially available software tool to facilitate authoring of the HD DVD content by consumers.